What's your best motorcycle MPG?

[aporigine]

Originally Posted by alvaro84

How did this affect FE?

Can't tell you. It was one of the first things I did. bike wasn't even broken in yet, so my mileage was not yet stable. Mixed-cycle mileage started around 50mpg and crept up as the moving metal bits became at home with each other.

cheers apo

[jkv357]

After finding 87 octane without Ethanol, I've seen the highest MPG so far for my '06 SV650n - 58.5 MPG.

Riding was mostly 45-60 MPH, winding roads, no constant speeds for the most part.

Best Interstate mileage is at 55 MPG with non-ethanol 91 octane (before I found 87).

Best Interstate mileage on E10 is 53 MPG.


Jay

[dcb]

I'm averaging about 100mpg on my 74 cb125. That is with p&g, and killing it at the lights (kick starter) and all fairly short trips. My 250 gets about that when I was commuting 20 miles, so maybe my ideal size is somewhere between 125 and 250?

[Nerys]

My 82 Gold Wing gets around 35mpg but then again its carborated and has a large engine than my geo metro :-) and it really really hates E10.

I have an 82 silver wing I want to play with badly (500cc versus 1100cc in the gwing) if I can ever get a title for it :-(

[taco]

06 Honda shadow stock plus bags and a street shield.

Best62 mpg
Worse 50 mpg

I accelerate too fast.

Debating putting a 41 tooth rear to replace the 44. Front is a 16 tooth.

[alvaro84]

Originally Posted by taco

I accelerate too fast.

Debating putting a 41 tooth rear to replace the 44. Front is a 16 tooth.

Accelerating quickly is not necessarily a problem, if it doesn't mean revving, and for light vehicles with relatively large engines it often doesn't.

But, if you feel it too vigorous, it's the best situation to change the gears. It's really a win-win situation

I can't do it, though my mechanic offered to convert Teresa to chain driven - then I could But I really like the belt, it looks cool, so until I don't have availability problems I'll leave it alone

[taco]

Well 4th Aka topgear. I can slow to 30mph and accelerate fine.
Right now 3k in 4 th is 45mph
41tooth 3k in 4th would be 49mph
Is that worth it?

[alvaro84]

If you can do it, why not?
Teresa's top (5th) is 3000 at 75km/h (46.6mph) anyway - right in the middle between your current and to-be-modded gearing. Can't do 30mph at all in 5th, though: you have to be very careful even for 40. This is the specialty of this particular engine, you need at least 2500rpm everywhere over 1st/2nd. Yes, even for cruising.

It's said that the new revision of this single in the 2012 G650GS doesn't make strange noises when used at lower revs.

[BHarvey]

My average WAS around 52 mpg on intown riding.
Swapped the performance cams out for the stock units and it upped my intown to 58+.

This is actually better than I ever got on a one day tank with little intown riding.

[bikepilot]

Just got a new bike and figured I'd post up. Its an '09 Buell XB12XT. I bought it in Boston and rode home to DC. Averaged 49.7mpg for the trip. That is with the three oem hardcases attached and an oversized windscreen. I generally cruised ~75-80mph, but got stuck in traffic in NYC for ~35-40 minutes and did a couple of hours of backroads in western Mass going to/from a friend's place on the way back. Pretty respectable for a stock 1200cc bike with luggage I think. As usual I generally accelerated hard away from toll booths and entry ramps and of course couldn't resist busting out the odd wheelie when no one was looking

FWIW a lot of motorcycles are less efficient at lower rpms. Gearing too tall will sometimes hurt mileage (and almost always hurt the fun factor). Buell says the XB12's motor is most efficient at 4200rpm as a general matter (of it'll vary with load etc). With stock gearing that works out to be about 85-90mph! My TL1000S also got no better mpg with a 18T front over a 17T. The wife's monster is -1 in the front and +3 (I think, not positive what stock was) on the back (so geared much lower than stock) and still does 58-61mpg all the time. It likes to spin up a bit.